Chapter 6 A Harsh Lesson (1/2)

Standing on the road before Arran and Master Zhao were sixswords and axes, and wearing battle-scarred armor

Arran tried to control his fear, but only partly succeeded ”Are they fro

”Just some common bandits,” Master Zhao said dismissively ”Deal with them” He did not seem the least bit concerned

”Deal with them?” Arran's eyes ide Even if the men weren't from the Academy, there were six of them, all armored And Master Zhao expected Arran to deal with them?

There was no time for Arran to object Already, the men were in front of them

”We'll take the cart and the horses, and any coin you're carrying” The man who spoke was tall, with a bald head that bore several deep scars ”Hand them over, and we'll let you leave with your lives”

”We can't do that” Arran had drawn his sword and was standing in front of the six men, alone

”Kill them” The bald man said the words calmly and without hesitation, as if he had ordered the other men to butcher a chicken

I an axe above his head

Before the bandit could bring down his axe, Arran's sword darted forward, tearing through thefrom his neck, he collapsed, face twisted in shock

Arran did not have time to savor his victory Instantly, the sword of one of the other bandits caed to parry it, but the force of the blow made him stumble backward

He feinted toward the bandit's face and thehis arms Before he could recover, Arran hacked into his wrist with a fierce cut

The bandit's blade was sent flying, severed hand still grasping it Arran followed up with a sharp thrust to his opponent's face, his sword plunging a hand's length into the ht eye

A third bandit stu e, Arran's sword cut deep into the side of his neck

Arran yanked his sword free, and the bandit's bleeding body fell to the ground

Stepping back, Arran breathed loudly Without thinking, he had relied on the techniques Master Zhao had drilled into his head during the past three ravity of the situation set in, and Arran's body trembled as he felt his heart pound in his chest

Undeterred, the three re deliberately, they spread out around Arran, one on either side of hiht was the leader — at the center

Briefly, Arran had hoped that the deaths of the other three would send thesein fear Instead, they seee

The bandit on Arran's rightat Arran in a brutal slash Arran very nearly botched his parry and caht there

At the same moment, the bandit on Arran's left struck at hiht had created With his sword occupied by the firstArran could do to block hiht his finalas if he had tripped His momentum carried hiround

The ed to stay on his feet, but it took hiain his balance A moment was all that was needed Arran struck several wild cuts to his neck, and he went down

In the blink of an eye, only the bald leader re, his expression filled with murderous intent

The baldI forward in a slash that Arran only narrowly parried Without aArran no time to recover as he stuht Any moment now, the bald bandit's sould slip past his defenses and bring hi that he could not continue like this, Arran suddenly unleashed a series of wild blows The man parried them with ease, but before he could counter, Arran suddenly rushed forward, ra his shoulder into the bald ered, and Arran saw an opening Before theclean through The round, and his body collapsed next to it Blood began to spread out over the road

Arran stoodHe was still alive